Author Profile
Laban Carrick Hill
2 Books
Laban Carrick Hill is an award-winning author who specializes in historical and cultural non-fiction for children and young adults. He is best known for his Coretta Scott King Award-winning book 'Dave the Potter' and the critically acclaimed 'When the Beat Was Born.' His work often focuses on celebrating African American history and influential cultural movements through engaging storytelling.
Step into the clay dusty workshop of Dave, a man who lived nearly two hundred years ago. While Dave was a slave in South Carolina, he was also a remarkable artist and a brave poet. This beautiful story shows you how Dave would take a simple mound of earth and transform it into magnificent jars and jugs, some large enough to hold a whole harvest.
Before he sent his pottery to the kiln, Dave did something incredible: he carved his own poems and signed his name into the wet clay. At a time when he was not supposed to know how to read or write, Dave used his jars to speak to the world. You will see how his steady hands and creative spirit helped him find a sense of freedom, leaving behind a legacy of beauty and words that we still admire today.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
40 Pages
DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop
Long before hip hop was a global phenomenon, it began with a boy named Clive who loved the big sounds of Jamaica. After moving to the Bronx, Clive became DJ Kool Herc, and on one legendary hot August night in 1973, he changed music forever. At his sisters back to school party, Herc noticed that the crowd went wild during the instrumental breaks in the records. He figured out how to use two turntables to make those breaks last longer, creating a brand new beat for the neighborhood kids to dance to.
This is the true story of how a single party sparked a movement. You will see how DJ Kool Hercs innovation brought people together, turning city streets into dance floors and transforming rivalries into breakdancing battles. It is an energetic look at the birth of a culture that gave a voice to the youth and eventually took over the world.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
36 Pages
